Toilet tank flush valve



United States Patent .0

TOILET TANK FLUSH VALVE I Emil W. Flieder, Canby, Minn. Application September 19, 1958, Serial No. 762,032

3 Claims. c1. 4-51 This invention relates to toilet tank flush valves and more specifically relates to apparatus in a toilet tank flush valve for manipulating the valve element with respect to the valve seat.

An object of my invention is to provide a new and improved toilet tank flush valve employing a freely movable spherical valve element which is lifted off the valve seat and controlled in such a manner as to be freely rotatable so as to prevent formation on the valve element of a ring of mineral deposits and the like and thereby allow the valve element to positively and completely seat on the valve seat to positively prevent any further water from running therethrough.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel toilet tank fiush valve employing a pump free spherical valve element rotatable in any direction and liftable upwardly on the valve seat by pressure exerted against the lower side of the valve element over a substantial surface area so as to prevent localized pressures from deforming the valve element.

A further object of my invention is the provision of an improved and novel toilet tank flush valve which is adapted to be manipulated so as to stop the normal flow of water from the toilet tank midway during a conventional toilet flushing operation so as to save a substantial quantity of water when a complete flush is unnecessary.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description, made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation view, partly broken away and shown in section, showing the present invention mounted in a conventional toilet flush tank;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view with the cover thereof partly broken away to show the subject matter of the present invention; and

Fig. 3 is a detail section view taken approximately at 3-3 in Fig. 2 with parts shown in section for clarity of detail.

One form of the present invention is shown in the enclosed drawings and is described herein. The toilet tank flush valve which is indicated in general by numeral is adapted for mounting in a conventional toilet flush tank T. The valve structure includes a housing 11 defining a vertical water flow opening 12 therethrough and the housing 11 also has a threaded bottom portion 13 to adapt the housing to be secured in the conventional opening in the bottom of the tank T. The housing 11 defines a circular valve seat 14 at the upper ends thereof. A spherical free floating valve element 15 is provided to seat on the valve seat 14 and the valve element 15 is free to rotate in any direction after the element is unseated.

The housing 11 is provided with an overflow opening 16 therethrough which communicates at 16a through an elongate upright slot with the opening 12 and it will 2,927,321 Patented Mar. 8, 1960 0 posed within the water flow opening 12 directly beneath the valve element 15. A rigid rod 19 is aifixed as by welding 20 to the ring 18 for holding the ring 18 in operating position and for moving the ring 18. The rod 19 is free to move upwardly and downwardly in the slot 16a, and the upper end portion of rod 19 projects out of the top end of pipe 17.

Means are provided for retaining the valve element 15 adjacent the valve seat 14, and in the form shown, such means comprise a downwardly opening valve element-retaining cage or member 21 having a plurality of downwardly extending fingers 21a, the ends of which are disposed in spaced relation above the valve seat 14 a distance substantially less than the diameter of valve element 15 so as to prevent the valve element from slipping out of the cage 21 when the valve element tops the seat 14. The retaining member 21 has a rigid arm 22 extending substantially horizontally from one side thereof and the arm 22 is weighted at 23 to normally swing the retaining member 21 upwardly.

a Means are provided for swingably mounting the member 21 on the pipe 17 and in the form shown, such means comprise a pin 24 extending through the arm 22 and pivoted on a bracket structure 25 which is secured on the pipe 17 as by a screw 26 and thumb nut 27. The bracket structure 25 is provided with a pair of ears 28 which overlie the arms 22 and prevent upward swinging, of the cage or retaining member 21. A chain 29 is secured to the end portion of arm 22 for swinging the cage 21 downwardly so as to seat the element 15 on the valve seat 14.

Means are provided on the upper portion of the tank wall structure for operating the valve element lifting ring 18 and for operating the valve element retaining member 21. In the form shown, such means comprise a threaded bushing 30 which extends through the tank wall and is secured therein by means of a pair of nuts 31. A tubular member 32 having depending opposite ends 32a and 32b, is rotatably mounted in the bushing 30 and carries the chain 29 therethrough. The chain 29 has a retaining element 33 on the end thereof which is adapted to be manually gripped and pulled downwardly so as to operate the cage 21. When the element 33 is pulled downwardly, the cage 21 moves downwardly so as to seat the valve element 15 on the seat 14. The tubular member 32 has an outwardly extending handle 34 afiixed thereon to rotate the tubular member 32 and to swing the rigid rod 35 afiixed on the inner end portion of the tubular member. The rod 35 is secured as by a bolt 36 to the bight 19a at the upper end of rod 19 so as to lift the ring 18 into engagement with the valve element for unseating the same.

In operation, it will be seen that the valve element 15 is unseated by swinging the handle 34 and causing upward swinging of the rod 35 and uplifting of rod 19 which lifts the ring into engagement with the valve element and moves the same upwardly off the seat 14. The valve element 15 is spherical and freely rotatable so as to present a different annular surface portion to the seat 14 each time the valve element is seated thereon. The building of a ring of mineral deposits or the like on the valve element 15 is thereby prevented and the valve element will be tightly seated on the seat 14 each time the same .ment 15. 1

It will be noted that the ring 18 will engage the spherical valve element 15 over a substantial surface 7 area and. this will prevent the exertion of localized pressures on any one portion of the valve elementand therefore: will prevent damaging or deforming the valve' ele- When the valve element 15 is unseated; it will float upwardly and be retained by the cage 21 in a position spaced above, but in substantially vertical alignment with the: valve. seat 14. a The valve element 15 will lean against the: cage 21 as the water flows downwar dly through th opening 12 in. the housing ll. a or If: itis desired to stop the flow of water to the opening 12 before the entire tank T has emptied; the element 33 is: pulled downwardly soas to draw the chain 29 through the tube 32 and cause the end of arm 22 to be uplifted. The cage 21 will be swung downwardly-to move the valve element 15 downwardly into seated condition on the valve seat 14, and the flow of Water through the opening 12' will thereby be stopped; Even though the tank T does not-have its water completely drained, the water level will be brought back up to normal by the conventional float-operating valve'mechan'isrn. The stopping of water flow through the opening 12 will cause a substantial sa'vingi'n consumption of water.

It will be seen that I have provided a new and novel toilet tank valve apparatus wherein the free floating valve element may be turned in. any direction by operation of the water acting thereagainst and the. valve element is retained in a position spaced above. and in alignment with the valve seat during the flushing operation and the valve apparatus facilitates the seating of the valve element midway during a flushing operation so as to produce a substantial saving of Water..

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of my invention which consists of the matter shown and described herein and set forth in the appended claims.-

' aaa'aaarz' r What isclaimed: is;

1. A toilet tank flush valve, comprising a housing having a vertical water flow opening therethrough and having a valve seat at the upper end of said opening, a substantially spherical valve element on said seat, said valve element being freely rotatable in multiple directions when off the seat, means for liftingsaid valve element ofi the seat, an upwardly and downwardly movable, downwardly opening cagehaving the'lower end thereof spaced from the valve seat a distance less; than the diameter ofthe valve element, means mounting the cage on the housing, andicontrol mechanism connected with said cage fotmoving the same downwardly to carry. the valve element downwardly into engagement with the valve seat whereby to stop the flow of water through the water flow opening of the housing.

2. The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein said valve element-lifting means include. a valve lifting-element in said waterflow opening. and beneath. said valveelement and beneath the seat, andzsaid housing: havingan overflow opening therethrough communicating with said-water flow opening at. a position below said; seat and an overflow pipe secured to said housing. and communicating with said overflow opening therein, and rigid means extend-ingv through said overflow opening and upwardly: through the pipe and connected with said. lifting element for operat-ing same.

3. The'invention set forth in claim-1 and including a generally horizontal operating arm secured. to said cage, means mounting the arm. on, the housing to permit downward. and upward swinging of the cage, andme'ans restricting. upward swinging of the cage and maintaining the spacing between the cage andthe valve. seat at. a;

distance no greater than. the diameter of the valve. element, means for producing downward swinging. of, the

cage.

References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,507,816 Davison Sept. 9, 1924 2,430,765 Garrigan Nov. 11, I947 2 ,685,694 Allison Aug. 10,1954 

